


Whatever The Hell You Want

by bongjaehyunz



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 13:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18966076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bongjaehyunz/pseuds/bongjaehyunz
Summary: Hello! I’ve started this new daejan fic because I really like the ship and I hope you do too! Leave kudos and comments 🧡





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I’ve started this new daejan fic because I really like the ship and I hope you do too! Leave kudos and comments 🧡

“So what are you going to do about it?” Youngtaek leaned against the lockers, beside Jangjun who was folding his results slip into a small tiny piece. “About what?” Jangjun continued his ‘origami’, not shifting his gaze from it. 

 

“Well let’s see, your shitty grades? Your dumb brain? Your stupid ass that’s going to get kicked off the team if you don’t pass finals next semester? The team is going to lose our most capable captain we’ve had in years and- Jangjun! Are you even listening to me you shithead?” Youngtaek yelled, earning a few curious stares from the rest of the team. 

 

Jangjun rolled his eyes as he slotted the tiny piece of paper under his stack of books, which sat in the locker, untouched since the semester started. “All I heard was you calling me the most capable captain.” 

 

Youngtaek frowned in disapproval. He wasn’t one who studied all day, but he at least tried to act like he did. “Coach seems serious this time, you should get someone to tutor you or-”

 

“I will, I already have a plan.” Jangjun pulled his jersey, soaked in sweat, over his head and threw it over his shoulder. “I’m Lee Jangjun, I always have a plan.” 

 

Youngtaek snorted, earning a glare from Jangjun, “Yeah right, do you even know how to spell plan?” 

 

“Lee Daeyeol.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“That’s my plan.” 

—

 

Jangjun grabbed a tray and slotted himself between two of his teammates in the queue. “You dickhead, we’re not invisible you know.” One guy at the back of the queue yelled. 

 

Jangjun turned around and caught the group of girls behind him by surprise. They stumbled a little closer to each other, seemingly forming a support structure if their legs were to give way after an interaction with the hottest boy in school. “Do you girls mind if I cut in?” Jangjun flashed his killer smile and it worked well, as perfectly as he wanted it to. The girls shook their heads, “It’s alright, we don’t mind!” 

 

Jangjun sent them a wink before he yelled back at the guy, “I guess you are!” 

 

“Do you have to offend everyone you meet?” His friend commented, shaking his head as they moved forward in line. 

 

Jangjun shrugged, loving the attention he received, “What can I say? Girls love me, boys want to be me. Okay, actually, some boys love me too.” 

 

“It would be nice if you could just shut the hell up once in a while.” His other friend complained. 

 

“You should send me to the hospital if I actually stop talking for 5 minutes, I am probably be down with something incurable if that happens.” Jangjun yapped away like he usually did, his voice loud and booming. 

 

“What are your plans after school anyways? We’re gonna go over to Youngtaek’s for the PS4, wanna join?” 

 

Jangjun shook his head, fished his phone out of his pocket and started to scroll away, “I’m going to the library.” 

 

His friends burst out laughing, trying to catch their breath as they inspected Jangjun from head to toe, “You? Library? Jangjun, c’mon, I know coach threatened to have you off the team, but you don’t have to be _suicidal_.” 

 

“Fuckers.” Jangjun muttered under his breath,  “Of course I’m not going there to study, you idiots. I’m meeting that guy, what’s his name again, Daeyeol? Ah yes, Daeyeol. He’s that senior with a perfect GPA. I’m gonna ask him how he cheats in tests, I mean, there’s no way he doesn’t, right? What kind of fucking nerd gets straight A’s for college? Or maybe he just, y’know, gets _down and dirty_  for those grades, I’m up for that too-” 

 

“God, just stop talking. You could’ve just answered the question straight to the point, nobody cares about your sex life.” His friend groaned in disgust. 

 

“You’re just jealous you’re not involved in it.” Jangjun retorted. “Anyways just let me finish, it’s important! I’m gonna get him to teach me his ways and I’m going to ace the next finals and I’ll still be on the team, that’s the plan.” 

 

“How are you even going to find him? It’s not like he’s the most sociable person, haven’t you heard about him? And do you even know how he looks like?” His friends raised their brows, obviously skeptical. Jangjun’s plan did seem fool-proof, but Lee Jangjun was something more than a fool. 

—

 

The library smelt strange to Jangjun. He sniffed around, trying to make out the weird stench. Probably the smell of nerds studying, Jangjun concluded. He walked around until he found an empty spot and claimed it. Jangjun noticed the people around staring intently at him, for what reason, he didn’t know. 

 

He took out his phone and continued his search from earlier on. He combed his fingers through his hair in frustration, how was it possible that there isn’t a single photo of Daeyeol _anywhere_  on the Internet? Did he really exist? Was he really such a loser? 

 

There wasn’t any society or club with his information, he didn’t have a personal social networking account, Jangjun started to wonder if he was actually real. 

 

“Can I sit here?” Someone whispered softly, 

 

Jangjun looked up and blinked twice. The boy had his fringe falling over his eyes, light brown like maple leaves. He carried his book like a precious child in his arms, pushed his spectacles up with his middle finger as he asked again, “Can I sit here?” 

 

Jangjun blinked twice again, the boy didn’t seem fazed by Jangjun at all. Jangjun cleared his throat and muttered, “Whatever the hell you want.” 

 

The boy frowned but sat down anyways, it was the only empty spot nearby afterall. 

 

Jangjun looked up from his phone and watched as the guy pulled out his notes from his bag and a pencil case that was so big it seemed to be able to store all the pens Jangjun had ever used in his entire life. “Are you opening a stationery store?” Jangjun smirked.  

 

The boy gave him a weird look and ignored him. He continued to take his things out from his bag, arranging everything neatly on the table. “Nerd.” Jangjun sneered, “Why are you even studying so hard? Your glasses look so thick you’re probably going to be legally blind soon.” 

 

Jangjun had probably never felt this annoyed before, “Hey, nerd, I’m talking to- wait,” Jangjun squinted at the tiny scribble on the boy’s book, “ _you_  are Lee Daeyeol?” He reached over to snatch the book over, making sure he read the name right. “You?” 

 

Daeyeol placed his palm over the book and took it back with force, sliding it back to its original position in front of him. “Do I know you?” 

 

Jangjun rolled his eyes, “Well you should! Don’t you read the news online? If you follow even the least popular school news, you’d still know me. Have you been living in a well? Do you even know what’s on the Internet?” Jangjun realised that he was just being childish but he couldn’t care less. 

 

“Will you stop talking? You’re affecting the people around you.” Daeyeol lifted his head and shot Jangjun a glare, “If you aren’t going to study, please leave.” 

 

Jangjun scoffed, _unbelievable_! “I need you to tell me how you get your A’s.” 

 

Daeyeol flipped his book to the marked page and started scribbling away furiously, completely ignoring Jangjun whose ears turned bright red. 

 

“Cocky ass...” Jangjun mumbled under his breath, “I bet you cheat in all your tests, don’t you? How is it possible for someone to get a perfect GPA even in his senior year?” He raised his voice as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in the seat. 

 

A few heads turned with frowns etched on their faces, clearly displeased by the commotion. The corner of Jangjun’s lips turned up into a smirk, “C’mon, Lee Daeyeol, teach me your ways. Share your knowledge, sharing is caring, you know that right?” 

 

“It’s your pleasure to be able to be my tutor, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. Unless...you want something from me too...?” The hint of cheekiness was evident in Jangjun’s eyes, “C’mon...just tell me what you want? Popularity? Money? Oh wait, what did you say?” Jangjun pretended to gasp, clasping his hand over his mouth. “You-you want my body?” 

 

Daeyeol’s eyes widened as the heat crept up his cheeks, “Lee Jangjun! What the hell are you talking about!” People around them started whispering amongst themselves, making Daeyeol even more embarrassed than he already was. 

 

Jangjun nudged him, “You know my name? What a liar, did you plan all this so I would notice you? You should’ve said so...we could arrange _something_...” 

 

“Please just shut up.” Daeyeol pleaded, finally paying Jangjun the attention he craved. “God, what is _wrong_ with you? Your name is literally written on the strap attached to your bag.”

 

Jangjun cleared his throat, hiding his embarrassment. “Just say you’ll tutor me and I’ll get off your back.” Jangjun offered. Daeyeol considered for a few moments before he offered another proposal, “If you shut up for an hour, not a single sound from you, I’ll consider.” 

 

Jangjun groaned, it would probably kill him. The last time he shut his mouth was probably when he was sleeping, even then, there was complains that he often talked in his sleep. 

 

_Fail one more time and you’ll be off the team._  His coach’s words echoed in his mind. Studying was a pain in the ass but getting kicked off the team? Jangjun thought he might as well die. 

 

“Fine.” His lips were pressed into a fine line, he rested his chin on his arms crossed on the table. “An hour.”

—

 

The first 5 minutes into the hour was plain torturous. There were so many times Jangjun wanted to pass an offensive comment at Daeyeol, but had to fight so hard to stop himself. 

 

The next 10, he spent watching Daeyeol’s hand move in a rhythmic manner while he wrote in the book, the tip of his pen almost never leaving the surface of the paper. Daeyeol’s fingers were long and slender, Jangjun noted, his skin milky white. The way his hair fell over his eyes somehow made Jangjun want to reach over and push it to a side. 

 

Daeyeol had really delicate features, Jangjun observed as his gaze traces over Daeyeol’s face. He was handsome, Jangjun couldn’t deny. Beneath those spectacles, Jangjun was sure he’d look even better.

 

It didn’t take long for Jangjun to start dozing off, the loud booming thoughts trapped in his mind exhausted him as time passed. The last thing he briefly remembered before he drifted off to dreamland, was Daeyeol turning towards his direction. Was he looking at him? Jangjun would probably never know. 

—

 

Daeyeol’s life was somewhat boring. He was contented though, he spent his days and nights studying and was able to see the results time and time again. His friends, or acquaintances, told him to let loose a little and live a little, but to Daeyeol, nothing was more important than getting good grades and securing that scholarship. 

 

Daeyeol never once tried to do anything to gain the attention of another human being, and he wondered how Jangjun seemed to be able to act so carefree when all eyes were on him. Strange indeed. 

 

Daeyeol knew nothing about romance, he would call himself the least romantic person to ever walk this earth. Which was exactly why he caught himself by surprise when he turned over to look at a sleeping Jangjun, and the first thing that came to his mind was how Jangjun looked _kinda_  cute when he had his mouth shut.

 

Daeyeol shook his head and got rid of the foreign feeling. He continued to stare at Jangjun, observing his every micromovement, the way his eyes moved under his eyelids, the steady rising and falling of his chest, the way his eyelashes fluttered a little every now and then. Jangjun was loud and annoying, even to a stranger he had never met before, Daeyeol thought about how much worse he’d be with a friend.

 

Jangjun seemed persistent, Daeyeol could tell how he was struggling to stay silent. He caught Jangjun opening and closing his mouth every other minute from the corner of his eye, and held himself back from chuckling. Daeyeol wasn’t sure how he was going to deal with Jangjun who was, not exaggerating, his polar opposite, but Daeyeol lived by his words and would never break any promises he ever made. 

 

He scribbled a note and stuck it on Jangjun’s arm lightly before he packed his things up to leave. Taking one last look at the strange, _strange_  boy, Daeyeol turned away with an unexpected hope in his heart to meet Jangjun again the next day. 

 

_I’ll see you here tomorrow. 3pm. Sharp. -DY_

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Oi. Lee Jangjun.” 

 

Jangjun startled awake, instinctively grabbing the edge of the table he was resting on to prevent him from falling backwards. 

 

“Wipe the drool off your face, you look disgusting.” Youngtaek made a face at him as he pulled out the chair beside Jangjun. 

 

“What drool-” Jangjun reached up to his face, frantically touching every corner until he saw Youngtaek throwing his head back as he laughed and realised he fell for his trick. “I hate you.” 

 

“The feeling’s mutual, don’t worry.” Youngtaek shrugged. He picked up the post-it from the table and inspected it like it was an artifact, “Got a date tomorrow? And geez, what’s with the artsy fartsy handwritting?” He raised his eyebrow and tossed the paper aside. 

 

Jangjun clucked his tongue and shot him a glare, “Don’t touch that.” He reached over to pick it up, studying Daeyeol’s words over and over again. Daeyeol didn’t even leave his number and he just left a note like this without saying goodbye, what if the paper had flown away, or someone took it away on purpose? Jangjun shook his head, maybe Daeyeol wasn’t that smart afterall. “I’ll study. Or cheat. Or something. I’ll make sure I stay on the team.” 

 

Youngtaek scoffed, “I would love to have you stay on the team but we have to be realistic sometimes.” Jangjun hit the back of Youngtaek’s head hard, watching gleefully as the younger boy winced in pain. 

 

“Asshole.” Youngtaek cursed, “I’ll place a bet. If you pass all your mid-terms, I’ll call you hyung for a month.” 

 

“You dickhead, you’re _supposed_  to call me that.” 

 

“Take it or leave it.” Youngtaek shrugged.

 

“Make it 3.”

 

“Deal.”

—

 

“Must we really meet in the library?” Jangjun  groaned as he dragged the chair out and turned it around, sitting down with the back of the chair against his chest. His voice sounded throughout the entire section they were in, a few curious heads turned, “What’s so great about this place? It stinks.” 

 

“You’re 34 minutes and 52 seconds late.” Daeyeol declared without lifting his eyes from his books. Jangjun rolled his eyes and mimicked Daeyeol, “At least I wasn’t 34 minutes and 53 seconds late.” 

 

“We come to the library to avoid people exactly like you. Loud and obnoxious.” Daeyeol finally met eyes with Jangjun, and even if he was mad, he didn’t show it. Daeyeol felt that he was silly, he must’ve been. Why else would he have felt nervous right before the clock struck 3 and disappointed when Jangjun didn’t appear even after a couple of minutes? 

 

“I’m not loud and obnoxious.” Jangjun yelled, earning himself a few shushes around him. 

 

“Keep it down!” Someone bellowed from across the room. 

 

“You keep it down, idiot!” Jangjun fought back. “You’re the idiot.” Daeyeol mumbled, “How are you not embarrassed?” 

 

Jangjun’s brows met in the center as he frowned, “Why? Are you embarrassed? Well I guess, being a certified nerd can be embarrassing.” Jangjun was clearly annoyed at how Daeyeol was trying to be difficult, it was ironic coming from Jangjun but maybe, he liked it more when Daeyeol wasn’t talking. 

 

“Leave. If you aren’t going to study.” Even as Daeyeol tried to convince himself he didn’t care, he monitored Jangjun’s movements from the corner of his eye. People had always teased him for being a nerd and at most times a loser too, but somehow when it came from Jangjun, it didn’t sound as bad. Daeyeol wasn’t sure why he bothered to speak to Jangjun, he didn’t need friends, or let’s say he had no friends other than Sungyoon and a couple of other acquaintances, and mixing around with Jangjun would definitely be the an out-of-character move. 

 

“I’m dying to leave this place because I’m _literally_  allergic to books, but I can’t fail my classes anymore.” Jangjun rested his chin in his hands as he propped his arms on the table. 

 

“That’s not the way you use the word ‘literally’.” Daeyeol corrected. “You cannot be allergic to books. Well, I mean you can be allergic to the dust but-”

 

“I literally do not care, nerd.” 

 

“Hey! That’s correct. You’re a quick learner, Jangjun” Daeyeol looked at Jangjun and gave him the widest geeky smile he could, with a thumbs up as a bonus. 

 

It turned deadly silent for a few moments before Daeyeol realised what he was doing. He lowered his hand in shame and did not utter a single word after. 

 

Jangjun tilted his head at an angle and stared at Daeyeol with those curious eyes. Did Daeyeol just say that he was a quick learner? Does that mean he was willing to help Jangjun pass his classes? “Say that again.” Jangjun requested. 

 

Daeyeol rubbed the back of his neck, it was awkward that Jangjun wanted him to say his name again, but Daeyeol did so anyways, “J-Jangjun...?” 

 

It took a second before Jangjun realised that Daeyeol had misunderstood him. “Not my name, you dummy. Before that.” Jangjun flashed a smile so bright Daeyeol thought he could pass off as a teeth model. The little dimple that followed sent Daeyeol’s heart into overdrive. 

 

Daeyeol’s cheeks slowly turned crimson, his ears so hot it felt like they were on fire. “A-Ah...you’re a quick learner?” Daeyeol let out a few awkward laughs, desperate to save himself from the situation and hoping Jangjun didn’t notice his face which was red like a tomato.

 

_Ah he’s cute_. Jangjun bit the insides of his cheeks and nodded, “Yeah, nobody has said that about me before. But! Does that mean you’re willing to help me? I have nothing to give you in return, unless you want to join the soccer team too? I can try pulling you in but no promises.” 

 

Daeyeol waved his arms in front of him frantically, “No! God, no! Anything but sports.” He thought for a moment before he continued again, “I can’t think of anything I want at the moment, but I’ll tell you one day.” 

 

“Great. So where shall we start? Tell me how to cheat for my European studies finals? Geez I know nuts about that and I don’t intend to find out, so cheating is my best bet.” Jangjun placed his bag onto the table and dug around inside. He seemed pleased with himself when he found a pencil, covered with some white powder Jangjun assumed to be the icing sugar of the donut he kept in there 2 weeks ago. Disgusting, but whatever, at least he had a pencil. 

 

“Don’t cheat.” 

 

“Don’t breathe.” 

 

“What?” Daeyeol frowned.

 

Jangjun rested his chin on the table this time, his back hunched over, “What? I thought we were naming things that were impossible to do.” 

 

It required a special talent to engage in a conversation with Jangjun, Daeyeol concluded, something he didn’t have, and would probably never have. Daeyeol saw the few heads turn towards their direction again from the corner of his eye, “Keep your voice down, we don’t want to get kicked out.” 

 

“You don’t want to get kicked out, I’m fine with leaving this knowledge infested place.” Jangjun twirled the pencil with his fingers, something he mastered throughout years of not listening in class.

 

“I have nowhere else to study.” Daeyeol highlighted a word in the thick book and annotated something beside it. 

 

“C’mon, I’ll bring you somewhere.” Jangjun placed his pencil at the back of Daeyeol’s ear. Jangjun’s finger gently grazed past Daeyeol’s skin, the corner of his lips turned up into a smirk, “Seems like it’s too hot for you in here anyways.” 

—

 

Daeyeol followed behind Jangjun, with a comfortable distance between them. He figured that Jangjun probably wouldn’t want to be seen around school with him, afterall they both had very very different reputations. Daeyeol took caution as he walked slowly, balancing the pencil that was still lodged at the back of his ear. 

 

Jangjun led him down the hallways, into the stadium, across the bleachers and under a shaded area that was deserted, not a single soul was found within the vicinity. There was only a table, with a long bench on each side. 

 

“Welcome to my crib.” Jangjun lied down comfortably on one side of the wooden table, stretching his arms behind his head, “We can meet here. No one else knows of this place. You can study here too.” 

 

“You? Are you not going to study? Wasn’t your plan to pass your classes?” Daeyeol crossed his long legs over the bench and sat down comfortably, prim and proper. 

 

“After my nap.” Jangjun closed his eyes as he smiled, “Sleeping helps my brain to grow.” 

 

“Talking less would help your brain to grow.” Daeyeol suggested, “Read this. It’s a paper I wrote last year. It should help.” 

 

“After my nap.” Jangjun waved his arm lazily, enjoying the breeze that swept his brown hair across his face. 

 

“I’m leaving then.” 

 

“Fine, fine!” Jangjun shot up immediately, before Daeyeol could even move, “Impatient.” He grumbled under his breath as he took a set of papers from Daeyeol. It was thicker than Jangjun had thought, the last time Jangjun ever tried reading something so thick was probably a porn magazine one of the boys on the team got. 

 

“Am I going to know how to cheat after reading this thick ass shit?” Jangjun flipped through it, the tiny print on it making him tired and bored already. “Boy, my IQ better increase by a thousand after this.” 

 

Daeyeol fought the urge to correct Jangjun’s every sentence, but he thought it would probably be easier to stop taking him seriously. “Just read it first and stop talking. I can’t thinking if you keep shouting.” 

 

“I’m not shouting!” Jangjun exclaimed. Daeyeol gave him a look to make him realise what he had just done, “I don’t always shout, you just triggered me, that’s all.” Jangjun’s bottom lip jutted out a little, looking almost like a pout. 

 

Daeyeol spent the next hour reading through one single paragraph over and over again, because whenever he started off with a new sentence, Jangjun decided to distract him with another one of his antics. 

 

“Why do I need to read this? Why are you torturing me like this?” Jangjun placed his head on the table, face pressed against the white paper. His voice was muffled but Daeyeol could hear him as clear as day. “Why!” Jangjun groaned again. 

 

“I think I’m going to die. This is really killing me. I can’t do this.” This came only 2 minutes after the previous breakdown. “I’m going to die. They’re going to charge you with murder when they find you hear with my dead body right next to you. My death certificate is going to say that I died due to exhaustion from reading.” 

 

Daeyeol sighed, Jangjun had probably spoke more words than he had read since he started. “You literally just read half a paragraph, Jangjun, don’t be dramatic.” 

 

“Drama is my middle name.” Jangjun turned his head, leaning on his side now. “Really? Lee Drama Jangjun?” Daeyeol bit his lip, it was a little funny to him.

 

Jangjun rolled his eyes, “I bet lame is your middle name.” 

 

“Leaving is my middle name if you don’t stop talking and start reading.” Daeyeol bit back, a smug smile hung on his face, satisfied with his comeback. 

 

“This is so boring. Don’t these things come in picture form?” His brows were creased in the middle, the agony evident in his expression. “And anyways, aren’t you going to return my pencil? Fun fact, I only have that one.”

 

Daeyeol took it out and tossed it across the table to Jangjun, “That’s neither fun nor a fact, I’m sure you have more pencils at home.” 

 

“Geez. You’re really as fun as a piece of tissue.” Jangjun pulled a long face at the older boy. Their little banter continued back and forth, the nagging thought that Daeyeol had just wasted a day was already long forgotten.

 

Daeyeol was amazed when he saw Jangjun flip the page over, but the amazement didn’t last long when he realised all Jangjun was doing was to find an empty space to continue his doodles. “You’re pretty good at drawing.” Daeyeol commented. 

 

“You’re pretty good at being boring.” Jangjun replied. 

 

Daeyeol raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I thought we were going back to stating facts again.” Jangjun teased, loving the way Daeyeol turned red so easily. “Alright, just kidding, don’t get mad. It’s not your fault you’re missing a funny bone.”

 

“There’s no such thing as a funny bone. It’s neither funny nor a bone, it’s actually a nerve, if you’re interested I can tell you more about...” Daeyeol’s voice trailed off as he realised Jangjun wasn’t even paying attention. All Jangjun gave him was a small smile, “I rest my case.” 

 

Jangjun glanced at his watch, “It’s getting late, that’s enough studying for today. If i continue this I really might just get a cardiac arrest. Anyways, do you have dinner plans?” 

 

Daeyeol nodded, “I’m meeting my friend.” 

 

“Those people exist? I thought I am the only one who is interested in you in this entire school.” Jangjun dumped his pencil into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “But whatever, see you tomorrow, I guess. 3pm? Deal? Deal.” He gave Daeyeol one last forced smile which his eyes disappeared behind, before he too, disappeared.

 

The setting sun was in Daeyeol’s favour, the shade hid the blush on his cheeks as he lowered his head. He really had to stop taking Jangjun’s words seriously. There was no way Jangjun had meant what he said. There was no way Jangjun was _interested_  in him.


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re late.” Sungyoon tossed a stack of paper in Daeyeol’s direction even before the latter could sit down. “You’re never late.” It wasn’t exactly a complain but Sungyoon just wanted an explanation of some sort from Daeyeol. 

 

“I was meeting a...a friend before this.” Daeyeol slung his bag over the seat. The cafe Sungyoon picked this time was quiet, barely another soul in sight. It was probably because of the previous time, when Daeyeol couldn’t stop nagging at him when he chose one which was popular with the high school students, it felt like there were 50 Jangjuns in the same place at the same time. 

 

“A friend?” Sungyoon was doubtful, “I didn’t meet you just now though.” 

 

_Not you too_...Daeyeol sighed, “I have more than one friend, you know.”

 

“That’s what you think.” Sungyoon teased with a cheeky smile. “Anyways, let’s get some food first, I’m starving.” 

 

“I’ll go get it, my treat today, for being late.” Daeyeol stood back up once again, holding his wallet in one hand. Sungyoon was about the follow suit but was stopped before he could do anything else. “It’s okay, sit, I know what you’ll get anyways.” 

 

Sungyoon couldn’t suppress the tiny bubbles of happiness inside of him, he bit the corner of his lip and nodded, “Thanks, hyung.” Sungyoon often wondered why Daeyeol wasn’t keen on dating. Sungyoon knew, without a doubt, that Daeyeol would definitely be the sweetest, most considerate, cutest, smartest and caring boyfriend on the entire planet. 

 

Sungyoon tried sending some hints to Daeyeol, to get him to notice that Sungyoon’s feelings for him weren’t just that of a friend, but something more. It’s been an entire year already and Daeyeol was still as clueless as a rock. Sungyoon was thankful though, if Daeyeol didn’t like him back, at least he didn’t like _anyone_ back. He did everything he could to keep Daeyeol by his side, and more than anything, he was happy that Daeyeol seemed to enjoy his company as much as he enjoyed his. 

 

Sungyoon also thought about how life would be like if he and Daeyeol were a couple. They had so much in common, it’ll probably be fun to date Daeyeol, being able to call such an amazing person his, Sungyoon wanted nothing else. “What are you thinking of?” Daeyeol’s soft and gentle voice brought Sungyoon back to reality. 

 

Sungyoon cleared his throat, “Nothing.” 

 

“You looked rather happy, you sure it’s nothing?” Daeyeol pressed, genuinely curious. Sungyoon hoped that the blush on his cheeks didn’t give him away, “Yeah, it’s really nothing.” 

 

Daeyeol shrugged, “Fine. Anyways, you were in the soccer team right?” He stuck his fork into the plate of spaghetti and twisted it clockwise. Sungyoon placed a spoonful of cabonara into his mouth, “Yeah, I quit last month. Why?” 

 

“Is there someone named Lee Jangjun on the team?” Daeyeol fixed his eyes on his pasta, refusing to let Sungyoon see through him. Daeyeol could tell from Sungyoon’s voice alone that he wasn’t exactly pleased, “Why?” 

 

“N-Nothing...” Daeyeol sighed, he should’ve expected this. He knew how much Sungyoon hated to talk about the school’s soccer team. Sungyoon was set to become the team’s captain months ago, but one day, out of nowhere, he informed Daeyeol that he had quit the team. This was the first time ever since, that Daeyeol had mentioned the soccer team in front of Sungyoon. 

 

“It’s not nothing, spill.” There was a sour taste of Sungyoon’s tongue, thinking about the team made him feel an unexplainable anger. 

 

Daeyeol took a deep breath before he stepped into the minefield again. “There’s someone named Lee Jangjun on the team right? How’s he like?” 

 

_Lee Jangjun_. “Arrogant. Loud. Rude.” Sungyoon gritted his teeth so hard they started to hurt. “I have no idea why you’d ask about him but he’s someone you’d never want to come across. He’s really the exact opposite of you, hyung.” 

 

Jangjun was arrogant, loud and rude, but coming from Sungyoon, it sounded more personal than it had to be. Daeyeol couldn’t deny one thing though, that he was indeed the polar opposite of Jangjun. “He’s that bad?” 

 

“He’s the reason why I quit the team.” Sungyoon stabbed hard at his plate, words simply weren’t enough to describe how much he detested the guy. “Why would you even ask about him?” 

 

“Nothing I just-” Daeyeol finally looked up at Sungyoon and as their eyes met, he felt the guilt eat right through him, he shouldn’t be lying to his best friend about something so small like this, he didn’t have anything to hide so why was he even acting like this? “He approached me yesterday. He said he’d be kicked off the team if he doesn’t pass his classes.” 

 

Sungyoon’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the fork tightly, “And why did he approach you? It’s not like you have the power to stop him from being kicked off the team? You know _nothing_  about soccer.” 

 

“He wants me to tutor him, I don’t know why he picked me, but he just did. The thing is...I kinda agreed...but I also want to get to know more about him before I decide on how I should approach this. You know, I should do this systematically so I am able to help-” Daeyeol rambled off, gesturing with his hands even more than usual.

 

“Just let him get kicked off. He deserves it anyways. It’s not like that dumb brain of his can take in anything you teach him.” Sungyoon spat, his tone bitter and spiteful. 

 

“Sungyoon...” Daeyeol started to chide, “I don’t know what happened between the both of you but he didn’t seem that bad to me... I mean he _is_  arrogant, loud and rude, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person.” 

 

“So are you siding with him instead of me? Is that what you’re going to do, hyung?” Sungyoon stared at Daeyeol, his fierce gaze burnt holes through the older boy. “He’s everything you’re not, hyung. Why would you even want to help him? All he’s going to do is drag you down with him.” 

 

Daeyeol sighed as he set his fork down, “What’s wrong with you today, Sungyoon? The way you’re acting right now, I don’t like it.” He watched the anger dissipate from Sungyoon’s eyes, replaced by...fear? “We should always help people when we can. And furthermore, I was just asking you how he’s like and I’m sharing everything that has happened with you...I really don’t appreciate the way you’re acting right now, Sungyoon.” 

 

The mix of emotions ate Sungyoon up inside, it was the first time Daeyeol had spoken to him this way, there was no way Sungyoon could win this fight when Daeyeol used his logic to against Sungyoon’s illogical reasonings. Sometimes Sungyoon wished Daeyeol wasn’t this straightforward, he knew Daeyeol meant no harm, but those words still set the knives right through Sungyoon’s heart. 

 

“Fine. I’m sorry. I must’ve sounded unreasonable. I just remembered I have something urgent to do, I’ll get going first.” Sungyoon set his utensils down, pushed the plate away from him and reached for his bag in the seat next to him.

 

Seeing that his plate was barely touched, Daeyeol knew it was just an excuse he came up with to leave. Daeyeol regretted it instantly, his words had came out harsher than he had intended them to be, but he knew that there was no taking back. “Sungyoon, I just-”

 

“You don’t have to explain, hyung. You’re right. I’m wrong.” Sungyoon snapped as he stood up and left, leaving Daeyeol all alone with the mistake he couldn’t fix. Sungyoon had always liked the way Daeyeol was logical and caring, but seeing him use those qualities on someone other than Sungyoon, it somehow broke him a little inside. Was Sungyoon really just like any other person to Daeyeol? 

—

 

Daeyeol walked home alone that night, the light drizzle went unnoticed as he was fully immersed in his thoughts. Maybe he should’ve chose a different word to use, Daeyeol thought, Sungyoon had always been a sensitive one but Daeyeol had to admit that he was exceptionally harsh that night. 

 

Daeyeol would’ve apologised to Sungyoon through a text message or a phone call, but those options were impossible as Daeyeol didn’t even own a phone. He didn’t have a need for that anyways. A strong believer of the pen and paper, Daeyeol thought that technology was a huge part of the worldwide pollution. 

 

“I’ll just check on him tomorrow.” 

—

 

“This is for you.” Daeyeol passed Jangjun a ring notebook with both hands. “Read through this, it should help you while you’re studying for the finals.” 

 

Jangjun received it and hugged it to his chest. He leaned back down onto the bench and groaned, “Not again? It comes in a book this time? Who knew there were actually so many different ways to kill me?” 

 

Daeyeol sighed, “Just read it, it shouldn’t be hard for you to understand. That’s just 1 chapter anyways, I’ll give you the rest when you’re done with this.” 

 

Jangjun opened his eyes wide, unable to believe whatever Daeyeol had said, “This isn’t all? You’ve got to be kidding me! How can I read- eh? Did you draw this?” Jangjun opened the notebook and was rather pleasantly surprised. There were cute cartoons annotating the paragraphs, summarised notes in comic form, just like Jangjun had requested yesterday. The fact that the cartoons somehow resembled Daeyeol, made Jangjun smile even wider.

 

“Yeah. I’m not an artist so this was the best I could do.” Daeyeol zipped his bag and slung it over his shoulder. 

 

“You did this for me?” Jangjun continued to flip through the book, amazed by the detail and even more fascinated at how many pages there were. It would’ve been impossible for a normal human being to be able to do that in a night’s time. Daeyeol has really proven himself to be something else. “You really drew this just because I mentioned it yesterday?” 

 

“Y-Yeah...? What’s with that expression?” Daeyeol rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

 

Jangjun chuckled as he closed the book, “You didn’t have to take me seriously like that, you’re really so silly.” 

 

Daeyeol felt his stomach flip, a strange feeling, he thought. “I take people’s words very seriously...” He bit his bottom lip, did Jangjun not like it? Had he wasted an entire night’s efforts?

 

Jangjun had noticed Daeyeol’s expression and could see right through him. “Thanks, Daeyeol hyung.” Jangjun smoothed his palm over the surface of the notebook, “I’ll use it well. I mean I’ll try to use it well. The cartoons are cute but it’s still about boring ass history...But...really...thanks. I’ll read it...after my nap. You can stay here and study while I sleep. It’s the only time I shut up so I guess you have some time with peace.” 

 

Jangjun was somehow capable to making Daeyeol feel at ease again, without explicitly responding to Daeyeol’s concerns. “I can’t today, I have to meet a friend from my study group. I just came here to pass that to you, I have to go now.” 

 

Jangjun sat up again, “You’re leaving?” Was that disappointment he felt? Strange. 

 

“Yeah...I need to meet my friend today, it’s important.” Daeyeol had to meet and talk things out with Sungyoon indeed, after last night’s fiasco. 

 

Jangjun nodded, a little reluctantly, but he had no reason to keep Daeyeol, “Alright...I’ll see you again...?”

 

“Tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow.”

—

 

“Sungyoon. About yesterday...” Daeyeol practised in the mirror in the washroom, going through his planned lines over and over again. “I’m s-sorry about yesterday, I-Ugh nothing sounds right!” He mumbled as he grabbed the edge of the sink, annoyed at his own incapabiity. 

 

“What doesn’t sound right?” 

 

“Sungyoon?” Daeyeol turned to look at the person who stood at the entrance of the washroom. “I was just about to go meet you.” 

 

Sungyoon nodded halfheartedly as he stepped in, “Sure. What were you talking about earlier, what sounds wrong?” 

 

“N-Nothing...I just...I just wanted to talk to you about last night.” Daeyeol took a deep breath, _You can do this, Lee Daeyeol_. “I want to say that I’m sorry, I’m sorry that my words seemed harsh, I definitely did not mean to make you upset. I just wanted to point out that Jangjun isn’t a bad person and maybe there was just some misunderstanding between the both of you?”

 

Daeyeol was too nervous to notice the awfully visible wince from Sungyoon when Daeyeol mentioned the name ‘Jangjun’. “There was no misunderstanding at all. He might not be a bad person but that doesn’t mean he’s a good one. I don’t want him to become another burden you have to shoulder...” 

 

“That’s why I have you, right?” 

 

There was it. Those words that sent Sungyoon’s heart into an overdrive. Those words right there. Sungyoon bit the insides of his cheeks as he grumbled, “There’s no way in hell, I’ll help you teach Lee Jangjun.” 

 

“I know, I know. I’m not asking you to do something you don’t want to, I’m just asking for your support... It’ll also be something great for me, won’t it? I’ll be able to learn something through teaching him...It’s not that bad...” Daeyeol’s tone grew softer as he reasoned. 

 

Sungyoon sighed, defeated once again, “Why are you even asking me for permission? It’s not like you’re going to stop doing something just because _I_ don’t like it.” 

 

“At least I know you’ll be on my side.” 

 

Daeyeol had to realise the effect he had on Sungyoon, he definitely had to. Sungyoon wondered just how long more he could suppress these feelings he felt for Daeyeol when Daeyeol was being all sweet like this. Before Sungyoon could continue the conversation, he noticed a bruise at the side of Daeyeol’s palm, something which only appeared whenever Daeyeol spent too long writing or drawing. 

 

“You have completed your essay already?” Sungyoon raised his brow. The history essay wasn’t due for 2 weeks, even a crazy student like Daeyeol wouldn’t be this productive. 

 

“No... I-” Daeyeol paused for awhile, choosing his words wisely. “I prepared some notes for Jangjun, it’s for his European Studies class.” 

 

“You don’t even take that class.” Sungyoon sounded obviously annoyed. “I don’t...but it wasn’t that hard to gather all the notes, I learnt a lot from it too!” Daeyeol tried his best to plead his case. 

 

“Since you had so much free time to make the notes for him from scratch, what about the summary for our midterms which we were supposed to exchange? I’m done with mine, what about yours? You didn’t forget about it right? You know how important it is to us.” 

 

Daeyeol felt his heart sink, there must’ve been something really wrong with him. There was no way he could’ve let himself forget about something so important. Sungyoon could see the blood drain from Daeyeol’s face, and he knew what it had meant. Just _what_ exactly, Sungyoon wondered as he clenched his fists, did Jangjun do to Daeyeol?


	4. Chapter 4

Sungyoon tried his best to act like he was bothered, well okay he really _was_ bothered, but Daeyeol never realised anything. Not a single bit. He was still annoyed that Daeyeol had forgotten their arrangement because he was too caught up in trying to help Jangjun, a pointless act, in Sungyoon’s opinion. 

 

“You’re still helping him study?” Sungyoon held back the urge to roll his eyes, partly in fear that if he did that again, his eyes might end up getting permanently stuck in the wrong place. “It’s been 3 weeks since you started, shouldn’t he be going crazy by now? He’s not someone who is able to sit down and read quietly.” 

 

Daeyeol sipped away at his coffee, his spectacles slowly slipping down the bridge of his nose, “It’s going well... I don’t know if he’s improving, but he’s trying. I can see that he’s trying. He reads the notes I give him, he even moved on to writing his own!” 

 

“Can’t you spend less time with him? I barely see you these days.” Sungyoon whined, the jealousy eating him up alive these days. 

 

Daeyeol set his book down and stared at Sungyoon, “Sungyoon...I spend _hours_  every single day with you, what do you mean you barely see me?”

 

Sungyoon sighed, he must’ve sounded ridiculous, “I know...I know...it’s just that... we used to meet right after school, but now you have to tutor that idiot.”

 

Daeyeol’s frown came immediately, “Don’t call him that.” Daeyeol didn’t notice, but his tone grew harsher whenever Sungyoon talked bad about Jangjun, “It’s not like we do anything else other than study, whenever we meet. It’s not like we’re dating or anything, it’s just a few hours apart, you don’t have to be so dramatic about it.” Daeyeol smiled inwardly as he thought about the time he called Jangjun ‘dramatic’, and how his reaction was so hilarious Daeyeol actually thought about it for days.

 

“We could be.” Sungyoon muttered under his breath.

 

“What?” Daeyeol leaned forward, craning his neck.

 

“Nothing.” Sungyoon mumbled. He blamed Jangjun for everything, for always making an appearance in the conversations between him and Daeyeol, for taking Daeyeol away for a good 3 hours on some days, and mostly, just for existing. 

 

“Have you studied for mid terms next week?” Sungyoon asked, hoping Daeyeol would let it go. “Or are you giving up on yourself now that you’re tutoring a deadweight.” 

 

“C’mon, Choi Sungyoon, when are you going to stop being such an ass?” Daeyeol raised his brow at Sungyoon. He didn’t like that he and Sungyoon have been bickering constantly these days, he just didn’t see why Sungyoon was getting so prickly. They could be talking about something worthy of feeling happy about, but every conversation could somehow lead back to Jangjun and Sungyoon’s mood would take a quick 180. 

 

“Oh, you know how to use words like ‘ass’ now? Going to start using that in your essays?” Sungyoon hated himself for being so bitter about every single thing, but it wasn’t like he could stop himself from having _feelings_. 

 

“I don’t know what’s your problem, but let’s stop talking about it. I don’t want to fight with you today. Any other day too, actually.” Daeyeol looked towards Sungyoon, “And yes, I’ve studied for it, what about you?” 

 

“Yeah, but there are some things I’m still not sure about...” Sungyoon’s bottom lip jutted out into a pout, “It’s hard to study alone...” 

 

Daeyeol sighed as he shook his head, he got what Sungyoon was implying this time, “C’mon, I’ll help you. What are you going to do without me...”

 

Sungyoon smiled so widely his cheeks started to hurt a little. There were times when Sungyoon felt helpless as he watched Daeyeol slip away slowly, but there were also times like these when he remembered why he fell in love with Daeyeol in the first place. 

—

 

“Why are you lying down already? It has only been 3 minutes since you opened the notebook.” Daeyeol shook his head disapprovingly. “Your mid-terms are just next week, you know that right?” 

 

“God, you’re so naggy...” Jangjun made a face at Daeyeol and continued to rest his head on the book, “If I do this, the knowledge might just pass from the book into my brain, who knows!” 

 

“I know, that it won’t.” Daeyeol reached over and knocked his fist against Jangjun’s head gently, “Wake up, wake up! You have to study if you want to pass, Jangjun.” 

 

Jangjun reached up and grabbed Daeyeol by the wrist, the thrill ran through him like an active current as he heard the older boy gasp audibly. “Nothing is going in because you’re doing this!” Daeyeol’s hand felt smooth under his fingertips. It was too late to stop himself as Jangjun ran his thumb across the side of Daeyeol’s wrist, back and forth in a steady tempo.

 

Daeyeol tried to retract his hand, but Jangjun’s grip on him was stronger than he could manage, “Lee Jangjun. Let me go, stop playing around.” 

 

“Why are you blushing?” The corner of Jangjun’s lips turned up into a smirk, he knew how Daeyeol had grown to be defenseless against him. “Tell me why you’re blushing and I’ll let you go.”

 

“J-Just let me go...” Daeyeol stuttered, “I’m not b-blushing...” Daeyeol couldn’t believe that he was lying with his eyes wide open. He could hear his own heartbeat loud and clear, just by looking at the dimples on Jangjun’s cheek. “J-Just study...” Daeyeol yanked his hand back. 

 

“You like me, don’t you?” Jangjun rested his chin in his hands and stared intently at Daeyeol, the playful look gone from his face. 

 

“I-what?” Daeyeol’s pen hit his book with a soft thud. _It shouldn’t be that obvious that I like him...wait..._ “This is not it...Lee Daeyeol... you must be crazy...” Daeyeol mumbled to himself, his brows furrowed in the middle. “This is not it...” 

 

“What’s not it? Aren’t we friends already?” Jangjun raised his eyebrows.

 

“Friends?” Daeyeol pinched himself lightly, trying his best to mask his disappointment. “Don’t you like me? As friends? I thought we were that at least.” Jangjun continued to stare. 

 

The feeling that came after was a little foreign to Daeyeol, something like when a kid tells you that you’re special and you get happy over it only to realise that every other single person was just as special to that kid. “I guess...I like you as friends...” 

 

“Well yeah, I _guess_ you only have eyes for that little nerd.” Jangjun wrinkled his nose, he hadn’t planned for things to turn out this way. 

 

“Nerd...?” Daeyeol mind was jumping back and forth from a million different things. “You mean... Sungyoon?” 

 

“I guess that’s his name...” 

 

“We’re just friends, it’s not- there’s nothing- I mean-” Daeyeol chewed on his lip, the right words slipping through his grasp. “I-”

 

“Then go out with me if I pass my mid-terms.” Jangjun maintained a straight face, hell-bent on keeping his cool.

 

Daeyeol was amazed by how Jangjun was able to make that a statement instead of a question. It left Daeyeol with no other choice than to agree, although it wasn’t like he was going to reject Jangjun in the first place.

 

“I’ll buy you a drink....as friends...” Jangjun mumbled but it was clear enough for Daeyeol to catch every last word. 

—

 

“It’s a mess... It’s a mess... It’s a big ass fucking mess...” Jangjun mumbled, his face buried against his pillow. “It’s a big mess!!!” 

 

“It would be helpful if you’d just tell me what the _big ass fucking mess_  is, instead of just whining to yourself like you’ve been doing for the past thirty minutes.” Youngtaek grabbed a spare pillow and used it to hit Jangjun’s back several times, until he forced the boy to get up and face him. 

 

Jangjun’s face was red, his hair tangled, closely resembling a bird’s nest. “It’s a whole mess... everything is a mess!” 

 

“The biggest mess I see right now is you.” Youngtaek raised his eyebrow, he wondered why people at school thought Jangjun was hot, maybe they just needed to see him as he was then. 

 

“Shut the fuck up, I hate you.” Jangjun groaned crashing into his bed again.

 

“As I’ve told you a million times, the feeling is mutual!” Youngtaek rolled his eyes at his bestfriend, “If you aren’t going to tell me what happened, I’m leaving. I have to get to school earlier tomorrow and unlike some people who don’t care about their education, I actually put in a lot of effort for mine.” 

 

Jangjun shot Youngtaek a glare, “Fine, fine. I just- okay no, my _friend_  has a problem. So let’s say he’s a captain of the soccer team, and he’s recently befriended a really nerdy guy from school. Once again, this story is about my _friend, friend_!” 

 

Youngtaek looked at Jangjun and it was probably in that moment when he realised what was going on. He also realised that Jangjun must’ve thought that the entire world was equally as dumb as he was, if he believed that it was possible for Youngtaek to trust that his story was merely about a _friend_.

 

“Alright, go on.” Youngtaek nodded, the story starting to sound even more interesting. 

 

“Okay so, I- I mean my friend, he’s been having some problems with his studies, right? So he asked the nerd for help, and he’s been spending a lot of time with the nerd.” 

 

“And?” 

 

“Ugh let me finish!” Jangjun threw the pillow back. “So one day, he asked the nerd if the nerd likes him...” 

 

Youngtaek bit the insides of his cheeks to hold back his laughter. He left Jangjun alone for a couple of weeks and now the boy has caught _feelings_? That’s something new. “Okay, and what did Lee Daeyeol say?”

 

“Oh my god shut the fuck up, Son Youngtaek!” Jangjun lunged for Youngtaek’s throat, missing him slightly as he grabbed onto his collar. “I already said that this is about my friend, my friend!” 

 

“You might be an idiot but I’m not one, Jangjun. Just say you have a crush on the guy and leave.” Youngtaek yanked his shirt out of Jangjun’s grip. 

 

“I do _not_  have a crush on him. Do _not_. Do you hear me?” 

 

“Do you hear yourself?” Youngtaek threw the ball back into Jangjun’s court. “The past few weeks that we’ve hung out, all I’ve heard from you is how ‘Daeyeol is so this’ and ‘Daeyeol is so that’. The only other person I’ve heard you talk so much about is yourself!” 

 

Jangjun opened and shut his mouth a few times before he came to realise that he couldn’t deny whatever Youngtaek had said. 

 

“C’mon, serious talk here. You’re my bestfriend, I got your back, I won’t laugh at you for falling for the nerdiest boy on the block. Okay, maybe I’ll laugh at you but I promise I’ll only do it _behind_  your back.” Youngtaek raised his three fingers over his head and chuckled, “Now, spill.” 

 

Jangjun hesitated before he started, “I don’t know why I’m being like this... but can you believe it? I actually got happy when he said he doesn’t like that other guy...” 

 

Youngtaek looked like he was holding his breath, his face slowly turning pink as he tried his best to keep his laughter in, “And so how is this entire thing a mess?” 

 

“I wanted to tell him to go out with me...but I said I’ll buy him coffee...as friends...” Jangjun buried his face in his hands, his fingers gripping his hair hard, “Do you think he’s gonna know that I like him?” 

 

“Well, you literally said ‘as friends’ when you asked him out, and that’s probably what he thinks you guys are.” Youngtaek was almost convinced that Jangjun had gotten dumber than before. 

 

“But that’s not it! I want us to be more than friends!” Jangjun groaned, “I mean- I- I-Ugh! Fuck!” 

 

“Then tell him.” 

 

“ _Then tell him? Tell? Him?_  Geez, Youngtaek, what a fucking genius!” Jangjun scowled, although he was definitely more annoyed at himself than any other thing. “He probably only sees me as a burden...” 

 

“Well, you are.” 

 

“Son Young-”

 

“But, you should have some faith in yourself too, c’mon, you’re Lee Jangjun.” Youngtaek reaches over to give Jangjun two pats on the back. “As a consolation, I really like you too... _as friends_.” 

 

“I really will kill you one day, you know that right?” 

 

“But will you kill me, _as friends_?” Youngtaek jumped and dodged the pillow from Jangjun as he slipped out of the room, leaving the latter to mope around on his own. 


	5. Chapter 5

“Lee Daeyeol!” Jangjun appeared out of nowhere behind Daeyeol’s locker. “Lee Daeyeol!” His smile stretched from one cheek to the other, looking so wide it probably hurt. 

 

“Yes, that’s my name.” Daeyeol closed his locker and smiled back gently. His brown hair covered his face slightly, making him look dreamier than ever. “I passed!! Look!” Jangjun shoved his results slip in Daeyeol’s face, “Look! I passed, I passed! I really passed!” 

 

Something about Jangjun made his every emotion contagious. Daeyeol couldn’t help but be as happy as he was. “I’m proud of you.” Daeyeol meant it. He saw the way Jangjun worked hard for the past few weeks, he was genuinely proud of what the boy had achieved. 

 

Nobody had ever said that to Jangjun. Or at least he didn’t feel that anyone meant it, ever. His heart was beating quickly again, just as how it did whenever Daeyeol passed by in his mind. Maybe Daeyeol felt the same way. Maybe something good would happen between them. Jangjun had to tell him how he felt. “I’ll treat you to the drink, just like I promised.” Jangjun leaned against the locker, “How about tomorrow?” 

 

“Tomorrow?” Daeyeol thought for awhile, praying that he would be available. “Tomorrow sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow then?” 

 

“I’ll see you at the usual place then. We’ll set off from there. Don’t be late, I’ll be waiting!” Jangjun waves goodbye and scooted off to his next class without even waiting for a response from Daeyeol. 

 

Daeyeol chuckled, it was so like Jangjun. “He didn’t even let me confirm. What if I’m not thinking of the same place as he is?” He shook his head, a huge smile still plastered on his face. He was looking forward to the next day, just as he looked forward to every day he got to see Jangjun during one of their study sessions. 

 

“What are you so happy for? What happened? You always ace your mid-terms, it wouldn’t be something you’d celebrate.” Sungyoon cut off his thoughts as he appeared behind Daeyeol, carrying a huge stack of books in his arms like he usually did. “Or were you thinking about me?” Times like these, Sungyoon would try to sneak in some casual flirting in their conversations, but most of the time Daeyeol never got it.

 

And this time wasn’t an exception. “No, I wasn’t thinking about you. I knew I’d see you in school anyways.” Daeyeol replied, stuffing his bag full with books.

 

It hurt. It hurt to be in love with a stupid block-like person. Sungyoon was definitely a master at hiding his expressions. “I know, I was just kidding. So what were you thinking of?” 

 

“Jangjun said he passed his mid-terms. He’s taking me out for drinks tomorrow.” Even saying his name brought a little smile to his lips.

 

Sungyoon’s heart clenched and his stomach squeezed so badly he felt as though he was going to throw up anytime soon. “He’s what? He’s bringing you out? What are you guys? D-Dating?” Sungyoon wasn’t ready to hear the answer and he cursed himself for asking.

 

Daeyeol shot him a look as his face flushed, “W-We’re not! He’s just buying me a drink because I helped him with his studies.” 

 

“You’re not? You sure you’re not?” Sungyoon narrowed his eyes at the taller boy. “I’m sure. I don’t have time to date now, I still have a thesis to write, remember?” Daeyeol sighed.

 

Yes. That was great. Even if Daeyeol wasn’t dating Sungyoon, Sungyoon was fine with it as long as he wasn’t dating anyone else. Selfish as it sounds, Sungyoon couldn’t imagine how it would be like if he had lost Daeyeol to someone else, and how much more worse it would be if that person was Jangjun.

 

“That’s good. I hate to burst your bubble but I hope you haven’t forgotten about the gathering of our study group. We’re meeting tomorrow too. You have to come, we told you about it months and everyone’s expecting you!” Sungyoon hate that he was secretly happy that Daeyeol couldn’t meet Jangjun afterall, but he knew he had long given up his morals or anything of that sort, all for Daeyeol. “You have to be there! I’ll pick you up at your place and we can go together.” 

 

Daeyeol’s heart sunk. He remembered the excited look on Jangjun’s face, the look that resembled a young boy being promised a gift on his birthday. How was he going to break the news to Jangjun? Daeyeol sighed, he was really looking forward to it...

—

 

Even as a genius, it took Daeyeol some time before he managed to save Jangjun’s number into his newly bought phone. “Is this right?” He mumbled to himself as he pressed the green button. “It should be.” It started ringing. 

 

“Jangjun? Is this Jangjun? Lee Jangjun?” Daeyeol was practically yelling into the phone. 

 

“Yes, that’s my name. Who are you?” Jangjun’s voice over the phone sounded exactly the same, making Daeyeol’s heart flutter a little. 

 

“It’s me, Daeyeol.”

 

“I know.” Jangjun chuckled into the phone. It was only then when Daeyeol realised that Jangjun had used the same line he did that morning. “The caveman finally got a phone? How did you get this number anyways? Are you stalking me?” Jangjun couldn’t help but tease.

 

“It’s on the Football club’s website.” Daeyeol stated as a matter-of-fact. He could hear Jangjun roll his eyes, “Can’t you just say that you did?” 

 

“Why?” 

 

“Nothing. Why did you call anyways?” Jangjun sounded like he was somewhere quiet, his voice echoing even over the phone. 

 

“I...I’m sorry...I won’t be able to meet you tomorrow. I have to-”

 

“Oh.” Jangjun sure as hell didn’t bother to hide his disappointment, and it hurt Daeyeol more than he thought it would.

 

“I forgot I had a prior appointment with people from the study group.”

 

“Sungyoon?”

 

“Yeah, he’s part of the group.

 

“I see.” 

 

“Could we take a rain check on the drinks?” Daeyeol bit his lip, he prayed Jangjun would say yes.

 

“Yeah. Whatever the hell you want.” 

 

The line went dead before Daeyeol could say anything else. 

—

 

Jangjun sighed as he threw his phone onto his bed and jumped on it, falling flat on his back. “Fuck.” He cursed under his breath, he should’ve known better than to have expected so much. He had rejected all other plans his friends suggested so he could celebrate his birthday with Daeyeol. 

 

But now all he’s left with were disappointment and a heart filled with jealousy. 

 


End file.
